Pune: The Navi Mumbai-based Special Crime Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the murder case of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, on Monday, asked a court to apply ‘terrorist act’ related sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to the case. The agency sought 90 days’ time to submit the chargesheet against five arrested persons who allegedly have links with right wing organisation, Sanatan Sanstha.
Additional Superintendent of Police SR Singh, who is the investigating officer, submitted the application in the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) SMA Sayyed, for adding sections 15 and 16 of the UAPA. Under this law, 180 days can be taken by investigation agency for filling chargesheet.
The CBI has arrested five accused persons since August this year and the 90-day period for filing chargesheet under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) offences, gets over in the next few days. Defence lawyer Dharmraj Chandel said the CBI wants to apply UAPA section 15 only for getting 90 days’ extension for filing the chargesheet.
Case details
Dabholkar (67), founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), had gone for a morning walk when he was shot dead by two bike-borne men on a bridge between Omkareshwar temple and Balgandharva Auditorium on August 20, 2013.
Earlier Pune city police had arrested firearms dealer Manish Nagori and Khandelwal in the case. However, the chargesheet was not filed against them because their involvement could not be proved. Later the case was transferred to the CBI by the Bombay High Court. The agency arrested Sanatan Sanstha’s Dr Virendra Tawde in 2016 for conspiracy and filed a chargesheet against him.
Karnataka police, while investigating the journalist Gauri Lankesh murder case, arrested some persons including a few from Maharashtra, and informed the Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS), Mumbai, about some members of right-wing organisations, who were planning bomb blasts. Accordingly, ATS nabbed three persons, including Sharad Kalaskar, who allegedly told the ATS about his involvement in the Dabholkar case with the help of Sachin Andure.
On August 18, Andure was arrested by the CBI after being informed by ATS. Till now CBI has arrested six persons: Tawde, Andure, Kalaskar, Amol Kale, Rajesh Bangera and Amit Digvekar.
